Scott Shooman Named Head of Film Group for IFC Film and Other AMC Networks

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent In 2020, Mishaal Tamer became the first aspiring global pop star from Saudi Arabia to sign a major record deal in the U.S., where he released his debut EP, “Life’s a Ride,” via RCA Records. This summer, he’s touring Europe as the opening act for OneRepublic — a major milestone for an artist from his country. Tamer, whose father is Saudi and mother is Ecuadorian, started playing guitar when he was 9, at a time when religious police in his country were prone to smashing instruments and Western pop music was basically banned. But in 2017 and 2018, just as Tamer began posting his songs online, Saudi Arabia lifted its bans on movies and musical events, prompting a cultural sea change.

Channel 4.The comedian, best known for appearing on 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, Have I Got News for You and The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, died of cancer in August 2021, aged 58.The Sean Lock Comedy Award will now honour the late TV star’s legacy and showcase “talented new writers and performers who embody the alternative comedic spirit of Sean and Channel 4”.Winners will receive £5,000 to support their live work and a £1,000 script commission from the comedy team, along with mentoring and support from the broadcaster for newer writers and performers.Bill Bailey, who worked with Channel 4 to set up the award, said he was “delighted”, adding: “It’s a way to honour Sean’s memory and to inspire others to pursue their own unique comic brilliance.”Lock’s former agent, Damon Pettitt from Off The Kerb, said: “I hope the recipient proves to be a worthy winner and shows the same integrity, work ethic and eye for the absurd, in both writing and performance, so evident in Sean’s fine body of work.”Channel 4 has announced The Sean Lock Comedy Award, which will showcase talented new writers and performers: https://t.co/6hS629dlrW pic.twitter.com/dsANAYC4U2— Channel 4 Press (@C4Press) July 17, 2023Head of comedy at Channel 4, Charlie Perkins said that the channel is “honoured to have collaborated with Sean’s friends and family on our first comedy scheme that melds the genres of scripted, entertainment and digital together.”“Combining a love for Sean’s polymathy and supporting and nurturing new generations of homegrown comedy talent, we’re proud as hell to be part of this award,” he said. “Thank you so much to our passionate nomination panel for giving up their time to help stretch our tendrils out across the UK.

Instagram that she had experienced an “epileptic event”.Ham had 78,000 YouTube subscribers and 75,000 Instagram followers, and often vlogged about her life as a college student in Georgia along with fashion and beauty videos.“This is Annabelle’s family. We’re writing this with heavy, heavy hearts,” the post began on Instagram.A post shared by Annabelle Ham (@annabelle_ham)“Annabelle experienced an epileptic event and has gone on to the gates of heaven. She struggled with this for a long time and wanted to raise awareness for it, which we will do in honor of her.

MAMAMOO sub-unit MAMAMOO+ have dropped a music video for their new pre-release single ‘Save Me’.On July 18, Solar and Moonbyul of MAMAMOO released a visual for ‘Save Me’, the pre-release single of their upcoming mini-album ‘Two Rabbits’. The record is due out in full on August 3.The new music video feature the duo singing to the track in separate houses, gazing outside the windows as rain pours outside.

The Cure have broken records with their latest tour, despite frontman Robert Smith’s fight to lower the price of tickets.The records were broken with the band’s latest Shows Of A Lost World live shows in the US and Canada earlier this spring, which soon became their highest-grossing tour, and their best attendance in the region.As reported by Billboard, the tour – which consisted of 35 dates and kicked off in May – grossed $37.5million (£29million) and sold over 547,000 tickets. The final date took place in Miami, Florida earlier this month.It also reported that the most attended and highest-earning shows on the North American leg was the band’s three-night residency at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Ellise Shafer Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA filed labor complaints against NBCUniversal on Tuesday, alleging that the company is disrupting their strike efforts. According to the Los Angeles Times, the complaints allege that NBCUniversal has “interfered with, coerced and restrained employees in the exercise of their rights” during the dual strike. Grievances include allegedly designating picket locations that were obstructed by construction fencing, resulting in marching in busy streets on which they say two picketers have been struck by cars, and not providing barriers to establish pedestrian walkways. In a statement to the L.A. Times, NBCUniversal said: “We strongly believe that the company has fulfilled our legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act and we will cooperate with respect to any inquiries by the National Labor Relations Board on this issue. While we understand the timing of our multi-year construction project has created challenges for demonstrators, we continue to work with public agencies to increase access.”

A heartbroken mother of a young boy that was killed with his father in a road accident on holiday in Turkey has paid tribute to her "kind" son.

Supermarkets are inundated with low-fat and weight loss products, but food labels can often be confusing when it comes to dieting.

Keir Starmer has been urged to "think again" by a leading Scottish children's charity over his refusal to commit to scrapping the two-child cap on benefits.

Anyone going on holiday this summer has been warned that vaping in certain destinations could land you with a hefty fine or even a jail sentence.

It’ll be a sad day on the cobbles as ITV Corrie fans prepare to wave goodbye to Spider Nugent once again. Hankies will be at the ready as Spider’s rekindled romance with Toyah comes to an end.

Sugar is in many foods and drinks we consume on the daily - and even when you try to avoid sweetness, sugar alternatives are also found in thousands of 'sugar-free' products.

Everyone’s got a podcast these days, haven’t they? Everyone. Even Paul McCartney now.

Emergency services have been called to a building site in Fife after a man was injured.

A search warrant as part of a new investigation into the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur was served earlier this week, police in the US state of Nevada have confirmed.The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department carried out a search of a home in Henderson, a suburb of the city where Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting on 7 Sep 1996. No arrests have ever been made in relation to the killing, with police claiming in the past that their investigations quickly stalled because no witnesses were willing to cooperate.In a new statement, the police said: “LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on 17 Jul 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation.

A tourist has slammed Loch Ness in a scathing one-star review in which they claim they "never saw the monster once".

The nominations for this year’s AIM Independent Music Awards are out. Leading the pack are Raye and Shygirl, who are both up for three prizes each – including going head-to-head in the Best Track and Best Album categories.

Home Bargains fans have been rushing to heap praise on an "excellent value" air fryer that is similar to a popular Ninja model - but without the price-tag.

BTS singer V has – no, not joined the South Korean army – he’s been announced as the latest brand ambassador for luxury jewellery brand Cartier. He’ll be tasked with letting the world – and specifically K-pop fans – know about the merits of wearing expensive bracelets and shit.V has “distinctive characteristics as a dancer, musician and art enthusiast” and “makes choices driven by his own creativity and shows his unique style and elegance”, says Cartier, explaining exactly why he’s the perfect person for this job.This latest deal makes it even more expensive for BTS fans who want to embrace the jewellery and fashion brands that their favourite pop stars profess to prefer (when paid to do so).Earlier this year, V was also announced as a brand ambassador for the luxury brand Celine.

Hearing aids have been found to help stave off dementia in people who are at risk of developing the disease.

A mum who left a friend with 20 knife wounds after a brutal murder bid has been jailed for more than five years.

APPOINTMENTSUniversal Music has appointed Sally Davies as Managing Director of Abbey Road Studios. “It’s truly an honour and privilege to be taking on the role of Managing Director of Abbey Road Studios, a place of great music and ground-breaking sound”, she says.

SoundCloud has announced that it is partnering with Sony Corp on its First On SoundCloud artist accelerator programme this year, offering more opportunities to selected artists to develop their careers. It’s specifically the bit of Sony that makes audio devices and technologies that is getting involved.The artists chosen to participate this year are Wolfacejoeyy, DJ_Dave, Nitepunk, Sojabrat, and Sim0ne, all of whom – we’re told – are “creating new musical landscapes in a unique way that can only be done on SoundCloud”.They will be given access to one-to-one mentoring, early access to SoundCloud beta tools and new Sony audio creation technologies, marketing support, opportunities to perform at SoundCloud and Sony-hosted events, and more.“First On SoundCloud has always been about empowering emerging artists and fostering music discovery for our listeners”, says Emmy Lovell, Global Head Of Music at SoundCloud.“Partnering with Sony’s audio team is a great step in this mission”, she continues.

By James Humphrey

Prince Harry has allegedly reached out to his estranged brother Prince William in a bid to plan a return to the UK, following reports over in the US that the Duke of Sussex is "panicking" over his and his wife Meghan Markle's future in America.

A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to create a ‘living’ State Pension paid to people in retirement at the same rate as the National Living Wage for those aged over 23. The proposal would see some 12.6 million pensioners receive £343 each week, or just under £19,000 each year.

Gemma Atkinson and Strictly star Gorka Marque have welcomed their second child together as Gemma gave birth to a baby boy.

Fraser Murray admits himself last season didn't go as planned.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly “facing living hell” as they face "pressure" over their finances.

The sister of a Scots teenager who was swept away in a river has begged for volunteer searchers to help “bring our boy home”. Liam Buchan has yet to be found after getting into difficulty in the River Esk near Edzell, Angus, shortly before 5pm on Saturday.

It seems that there might be trouble in paradise for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they are 'taking time apart', according to reports.

Boots has confirmed it will begin closing the first few of 300 axed stores across the UK within the next few days.

Climate activists are disrupting operations at two of Scotland's major oil terminals in Grangemouth and Clydebank.

Paris Fury was forced to make a dash to A&E during the night with her eldest daughter, who she shares with boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Christopher Nolan has shared his thoughts on Quentin Tarantino‘s “very purist” approach to retiring from his filmmaking career.Tarantino recently said that he is “ready to quit” making movies following a 30-year career in the industry, with his 10th film – The Movie Critic – expected to be his final big-screen project. The director will be just over 60-years-old when he closes out his career.Speaking on the ReelBlend podcast (via CinemaBlend), Nolan addressed his thoughts on Tarantino’s retirement plans, say that he “understand both points of view”.“It’s addictive to tell stories in cinema.

AMC Networks had made it official that Scott Shooman as been upped to Head of its Film Group which encompasses IFC Films, RLJE Films and the Shudder streaming service.